The Accident
by CrazyApplesandOranges
Summary: Ginny accidently goes with Harry, Ron and Hermione on the Horcrux hunt. She's forced to stay because they can't risk Apparating back. Now she's in on the secret of the Horcruxes. Will she only be a burden to the trio, or will she help them? On hiatus
1. The Unpleasant Experience of a Lifetime

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

"Ginny, I have to do this," Harry murmured. Ginny sighed sadly.

"I know Harry," she grabbed his hands, "but I wish you didn't." Harry pulled Ginny to him.

"I wish I didn't have to do it, also," he whispered. All of a sudden, a bright blue light filled the tent and Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice filled the room.

"_The Ministry has fallen. Minister of Magic… dead. They are coming."_

Shrieks and screams filled the room. Harry tried to push Ginny toward her parents, but someone ran into her and she fell, forcing Harry to catch her. Ron and Hermione got to them before Harry could push her away again. They didn't see Ginny cling to Harry like her life depended on it.

Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and Apparated away, bringing Ginny with them.

Ginny screamed for two reasons when they touched the ground again: one a double-decker bus was hurtling toward them at 40 mph and two, her arm was screaming in pain. Just as the bus about to hit her, she was pulled out of the way. Once on the side of the street, she doubled over, clutching her arm.

She looked up and saw Harry's pained face; Ron's was a mixture of worry and anger, and Hermione's was one of confusion.

"Come on," Harry said, "we have to get her to safety." He picked Ginny up bridal style and carried her to an empty alleyway. He set her down and she leaned against the wall. Hermione reached into her bag up to her elbow and pulled out a small bottle.

She crouched next to Ginny, which was hard because she was in a dress. She dribbled part of the bottle's insides on to Ginny's arm. Ginny hissed in pain then sighed in relief. Hermione bandaged Ginny's arm up quickly but neatly.

Then she reached into her bag and pulled out sets of clothes for the boys, Ginny and herself.

Ginny looked down at her dress and saw that her dress was covered in blood.

She gratefully grabbed the clothes Hermione gave her.

"Where am I supposed to change into these?" asked Ginny. Hermione gestured for her to follow, and Hermione led Ginny to a public bathroom.

When they had changed, they met the boys in a nearby coffee shop.

"Ginny!" Ron whisper-yelled when they had all sat down, "You weren't supposed to come with us!" With tears in her eyes, Ginny nodded her agreement.

"I was talking to Harry when the message from Kingsley came," Ginny started, "Harry pushed me away but someone ran into me and I fell. He was forced to catch me before I hit the ground. Then you two came," Ginny looked at Ron and Hermione, "and Harry didn't have enough time to push me away again before you Disapparated."

While she was speaking two men had come into the coffee shop. When she finished, the men pulled two wands from their pockets and fired curses at the four.


	2. Death Eaters and Wizard Books

"Duck!" Harry yelled. Just in time also, because just as the four ducked under the table, the spells whizzed past where their heads had been.

"Ginny," Ron whispered, "stay here. You're still underage." Ginny nodded reluctantly.

"Here," Harry murmured, slipping something out from under his shirt. "Hide."

Ginny took the Invisibility Cloak from him and slipped it over herself. Because of her position under the table she couldn't see much, but she heard shouts, from both sides, of stupefy and perficus totalus.

Finally Hermione called out, "You can come out now Ginny!" and Ginny pulled the cloak off and stood up.

"How did they find us?" Ron asked putting away his wand. "Ginny hasn't done any magic and Harry doesn't have the Trace on him anymore.'

Hermione shrugged.

"I honestly don't know. But we need to find a place to stay. None of the old places are safe with the Ministry in control of the Death Eaters."

"I know where we can stay," Harry said suddenly. "Come on." He grabbed their arms and Apparated them away from the coffee shop.

When Ginny opened her eyes again, she was standing in front of Grimmauld Place. She took a deep breath and followed the others in the front door. The dust on the floor of the hallway suddenly rose and took the shape of Albus Dumbledore. He moved toward them at a fast pace reaching toward them. He looked downright terrifying and Ginny couldn't help letting out a little yelp of fear. The dust figure dissolved when he reached them and Hermione cast a quick spell that told them they were the only people there.

"What was that?" Ron exclaimed.

"Moody probably put it there in case Snape decided to come snooping," Hermione whispered.

"We should get some sleep," Harry said. They followed him to a big room with two couches. "Girls get couches," Harry said again. Ginny smiled gratefully and took the blanket Hermione offered her. She took the couch farthest from the door and fell asleep immediately.

The next morning, Ginny woke up to peaceful snoring from Harry and Ron. She smiled, looking at her friends relaxed forms. She went to the library hoping to find something interesting to read. She looked for a while before coming across a strange book. It was about all of the pureblood families. It had family trees and biographies. She took it back to the room they had sleep in and made herself comfortable in a chair.

The book was updated, Ginny could tell that much from the first page. The Weasley's were one of the first family's in the book and she stopped to look at what was written. There was her mum and dad, Bill and Fleur, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George, Ron, and herself.

She looked at the short paragraph under her picture.

_Ginny Molly Weasley, the only girl and the youngest Weasley in the family, she has the trademark red hair and bright blue eyes. She is currently a Gryffindor sixth year attending Hogwarts._

The rest of the page was blank. Ginny looked through the book some more until she came to the Potter family. She stifled a sob when she saw Harry's parents. She looked up when she felt someone watching her. Harry was awake.

"What are you reading?" Harry asked her. She held the book up for him to see the page with his parents. He stifled a gasp and came to stand next to her.

"You can have it if you want," Ginny whispered.

"Thanks," Harry said softly, taking the book from her. He set it on the floor next to his bag. "Come on. Let's see what else is in this place." He held out his hand to her and she took it, allowing herself to be away from their friends.


	3. Explanations and Horcruxes

They started on the first floor and worked their way up. They saved the library for last knowing that Hermione would want to check it out

They hadn't found much by the time they got to the top floor. A few pictures, a necklace that Ginny got to keep, a hair band and a Black family crest.

The first room on the top floor was open and messy. There were books and clothes thrown everywhere. Most of the books were thrown carelessly on the ground, open to a certain page. Hermione would have had a fit at the misuse of the books.

Besides the books and clothes there were photographs. It was obviously Sirius' room, because there were photos of him, James Potter, and Remus Lupin, Lily and James with baby Harry and many others. There was also Gryffindor red and gold sheets on the bed.

Ginny picked up some books that Hermione might like, but besides that there was nothing else. "Come on Harry," Ginny said just as they heard Ron shout.

"Hey guys, come here!"

They found him at the door of a bedroom. Hermione was there also.

"What, Ron?" Ginny said. He pointed at the door which Ginny now noticed had an engraving on it.

"Regulus Areturus Black?" Hermione read aloud.

"R.A.B." Ron clarified.

"You're right!" Harry almost shouted.

Ginny raised her hand like she was at school.

"What are you talking about?"

They jumped, startled at the sound of her voice, like they had forgotten she was there. "You weren't told, were you?" Harry finally said. At her confused stare, he continued. "About the Horcruxes." Ginny shook her head.

"You remember how I left the common room sometimes last year, right?" Harry started. Ginny nodded. "I went to Dumbledore's office. He told me the only way to defeat Tom Riddle was to find and destroy seven Horcruxes. I already destroyed one in the Chamber of Secrets."

"Riddle's diary?" Ginny guessed. Harry nodded.

"Dumbledore had also found one and destroyed it. A ring. Before he died, Dumbledore took me to a cave where he suspected a Horcrux was. There had been one there, but it was gone. In it's place was this," Harry concluded, taking a locket out of his pocket. He handed it to Ginny. "Open it."

Ginny took the note out of the locket and set the locket and set the locket down on the hallway table.

_To the Dark Lord,_

_ I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more._

_R.A.B._

Ginny finished the note and looked up at her friends. "Regulus had the locket." She didn't phrase it as a question, but Hermione nodded anyway. Ginny handed the note back to Harry.

"I'm hungry." Ron complained.

Hermione stifled a laugh and grabbed him by the arm, leading him towards the kitchen. Ginny giggled and followed them, Harry trailing behind her.


	4. Kreacher and Sickness

"Let's see… we have some peanut butter for sandwiches, some soup and-" Hermione was cut off by something falling against the pantry door. Ron got up and opened the door, and he found Kreacher, the house elf, on the floor, looking a little guilty.

"Kreacher," Harry said, Kreacher tried to get away, but Ron grabbed him just in time.

"Don't touch Kreacher, you blood traitor!" Kreacher shouted. He pushed Ron away from him in disgust.

"Keacher! Don't say that." Harry ordered. Kreacher bowed his head in both disgust and shame.

"Yes, Master Potter," he growled.

"Harry," Hermione interrupted, "ask him about the locket."

Harry pulled the locket out of his pocket and held it up for Kreacher to see. Kreacher winced as if it were painful to see it.

"You know what this is, don't you, Kreacher?" Harry said. Kreacher nodded. "Was it here?"

Kreacher nodded again.

"But there were two weren't there?" Hermione asked.

Kreacher turned to her. "Filthy Mudblood, in Mistress' house. Mistress would be so disappointed," Kreacher snarled. Ron grabbed a pan off of the table and was about to hit Kreacher, but Hermione held him back.

"Answer her, Kreacher," Harry demanded. Kreacher turned back to Harry distractedly.

"Master Reglus took one from the Dark Lord and replaced it with the one Master Potter is holding. Master Reglus told Kreacher to destroy the locket no matter what. But no matter how hard, Kreacher tried he couldn't do it," Kreacher wiped his hands on his dirty pillowcase.

"But someone took it. He came in the night and took many things including the locket."

"Who was it? Who took the locket Kreacher?" Harry asked.

Kreacher licked his dry lips. "Mungungus. Mungungus Fletcher."

"Find him," Harry demanded. Kreacher Apparated away. All the time they had been talking, Ginny had been standing quietly. She didn't know what to think of this new information.

"I'm still hungry," Ron complained. Hermione smacked his arm but started making a sandwich.

"Do you want anything, Ginny?" Harry asked her.

Ginny shook her head. "I'm not hungry," she replied.

They looked at her in shock. "You're not hungry?" Ron repeated, his sandwich mid-air halfway to his mouth.

"Yes,"

"Yes, you're hungry?" Ron said. "Or yes you're not hungry?"

"Yes, I'm not hungry."

"Are you feeling well?" Hermione asked, her eyes showing her concern.

"Yes, I'm fine," Ginny said, steeping away from Hermione's frantic hands.

"Ginny," Harry cut in, "no you're not fine. You're burning up. I can feel the heat coming from your body."

"Harry's right," Ron said, coming up behind her he touched the back of her neck, and not even realizing it, she leaned back into his cool hand, "you are burning up," he took his hand away and Ginny whimpered from the loss.

"Ginny, you have to go lay down. We'll take care of you," Hermione assured her.

"You can take one of the bedrooms," Harry offered.

"Thanks, Harry." Ginny walked up the stairs to the room she shared with Hermione during her fourth year. She laid down on the bed and pulled the thick comforter over her body. Seconds later, she kicked it off. She was too hot.

She was just about to rip her clothes off in desparation, when Harry walked in with her pyjamas and a wet cloth.

"Here," Harry said and handed her the shorts and cami. "Go change."

Ginny made her way to the bathroom and changed. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and winced. Her friends were right. She could tell that she definitly had a fever.

She went back to Harry and grabbed the cloth from him and rubbed it all over her body and sighed in relief when she cooled down.

Harry watched her with an eyebrow raised. "I thought you were denying that you were sick?" He asked, smirking.

"I was. Now, I'm not," Ginny said, glaring at him. He backed up, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Okay. Calm down. Get some rest. I'll bring you something to eat later."

He walked out of the room and Ginny was alone.


	5. Dolores Umbridge and House Elves

Ginny stumbled down the stairs, feeling awful after a week of being sick. She pushed open the kitchen door and collapsed in a chair, dropping her head to the table and groaning.

"You look like death run over by a bus, twice," Ron commented, taking a bite of his bacon. Ginny lifted her head long enough to glare at him.

"Thanks. I feel so much better," Ginny muttered.

"Welcome," Ron mumbled around his eggs.

A loud crack filled the room then, and Ginny looked over to see Kreacher with Mundungus Fletcher.

"Kreacher has brought Mundungus Fletcher to Master Potter." Kreacher said. Dobby appeared behind him and bowed to Harry.

"Dobby has come with Kreacher, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby said.

"Hey, Dobby," Ginny croaked.

"Ginny Weasley, are you okay?" Dobby asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just getting over a cold." Ginny said into her arms.

"Dobby, why are you here?" Harry asked.

"Dobby saw Kreacher in Diagon Alley, which Dobby thought was curious," Dobby told him, jumping on the table. "Dobby followed Kreacher to Mundungus Fletcher. Now he's here."

Kreacher started grumbling about Dobby while Harry turned to Mundungus.

"Where's the locket you took from this house?" Harry asked.

Mundungus swallowed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Harry held up the fake locket. "I think you do."

Mundungus paled. "Okay, okay. I took it. I was selling tihngs in Diagon Alley, when a ministry official came up asking for my license. She spotted that necklace and took it for herself."

"Who was it?" Harry demanded. Mundungus backed up into a chair and collapsed in it. He looked around and spotted a pile of newspaper on top and threw it on the table.

"Dolores Umbridge," Ron murmured.

Ginny put a hand to her pounding head. "I'm going to lie down," she said weakly.


	6. Plans and Sleeping

Ginny woke up feeling much better, but still a little achy. Her stomach growled at her, reminding her that she hadn't eaten a lot this past week. She patted her stomach, saying, "Okay, let's go get some food."

She pushed herself out of bed and whined when her feet touched the cold wood floor. She opened the door quietly, wincing when it creaked. She honestly didn't know how long she had slept; for all she knew, it was two in the morning. Highly unlikely, but still. She didn't want to wake anyone up.

She padded down the stairs quietly, looking like a lioness stalking its prey. She pushed open the door to the kitchen and started at the sight of Harry, Ron and Hermione sitting at the table. She blinked, looked again, checked the clock on the wall. Oh. She had only slept for a couple of hours.

"Hey, Ginny. How do you feel?" Hermione asked, looking up from the book in front of her.

Ginny shrugged. "Hungry. What do we have?"

"You can have the remainder of my sandwich." Ron offered, lifting up his plate. There was a neatly cut sandwich half, and Ginny shrugged again, took the plate, and dug in to the sandwich.

"Did I miss anything?" she asked. The three looked at each other for a moment, shook their heads.

"No, not really," Harry said. "Right now, we're trying to figure out how to break into the ministry."

Ginny paused at that, but didn't ask. This was their mission; they did what they had to, she went along with it. "Okay," she said slowly. "What do you have so far?"

"Nothing." Ron said. "We've got nothing. Right now we're studying a map of the ministry we were able to put together."

"We know that Umbridge works at the ministry but it will take weeks of planning before we can actually do anything." Harry said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his eyes. Ginny studied the three people in front of her, and thought for a moment.

"Well, Dad always told us about the ministry. From what I can remember, their security isn't the best because of all the Aurors there daily. So basically we would just have to get past the Aurors, and you're home free. But that might have changed with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named taking over. But if you can use Polyjuice Potion to impersonate the workers, you can probably get through easily." Ginny explained. "All you really have to plan is who you'll impersonate, and where you'll search."

They stared at her open-mouthed for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few minutes. "Where the heck did you get that?" Hermione asked. Ginny shrugged.

"When you have Fred and George as older brothers, you have to get revenge every now and then, and you have to get creative."

"Okay, but we've still got one problem. You're still underage, Ginny. You can't do magic." Ron pointed out. Ginny sat down across from her older brother. "No matter how much I hate it, we have to do some research. We need to learn all we can about the underage thing, and if we can find a way to get rid of it."

"We can use the library here," Harry offered, pushing his chair back from the table and standing up. "Come on."

Hermione nearly tipped her chair over in her haste to get the library and see all of the books. Ginny rolled her eyes and followed her friends through the dusty house. Ron and Harry forced the doors to the library open, the old wooden doors creaking after years of disuse.

The first thing Ginny registered was that the library was _dusty_. The second thing was that the room was almost as big as the Hogwarts library. Which Ginny didn't think was possible.

Hermione looked like she was in heaven. She was staring at the books like they were angels sent down to tell her . . . something important that Ginny didn't know. Oh well, if she didn't understand it, it must not be important enough.

"This place is huge!" Ron exclaimed. "How about you guys go and look through these books, and I'll go make us some snacks." Ron was slowly inching backwards towards the door, but Hermione was quick, and grabbed his arm before he could get away.

"Oh no, you don't," she growled. "You are going to help, because it was your idea in the first place."

"But one of you would have realized it eventually." He protested. "I just sped up the process a little bit."

"If I have to suffer through it, you're suffering with me." Harry stated, walking over to the shelf a few feet from him and inspecting the books. He picked up one and opened it, promptly closing it when it screeched at him. "Okay, let's not open that one again." He said, putting the book back.

"Well, let's get to work. Split up, we'll get done faster." Hermione said. Ginny wandered away and gazed at the floor to ceiling shelves. Where the hell was she supposed to start?

She closed her eyes, spun around in a circle a couple of times, and pointed randomly. She went over to the shelf she had pointed to and picked a book of it. When it didn't do anything particularly threatening, she picked a few more books and wandered over to a table on the corner.

She sat down and pulled a book in front of her, blowing the dust off to read the title. _The Ministry of Magic: All You Need to Know About the System that Controls Us _It read. Ginny raised an eyebrow at how convenient that was, but shrugged and flipped it open. Might as well read it; they needed all the help they could get.

Hours later, Ginny woke up with a start, nearly ripping the page that was stuck to her cheek when she raised her head. Ron looked at her with a smile on his face.

"I didn't think you wanted to sleep in here." He said. She nodded her thanks and grabbed the book she had been reading when she fell asleep. Which happened to be the ministry book. Could you blame her for falling asleep? She was tired, and the book was boring.

The two siblings walked in silence back to the kitchen, where Hermione had somehow produced enough food to make burgers; Ginny didn't know how she did it, but Hermione was the smartest witch of her age. She probably had a spell for this kind of thing.

Ginny ate her food half-asleep, and by the time she was actually finished, she was asleep. She didn't know who carried her to bed, if it was Harry or Ron, but she didn't care, because she was comfy in the large bed, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

A/N: My God. This chapter was so hard to write. You will not believe how long I was trying to motivate myself enough to actually finish it. I ended up bribing myself with candy. Which reminds me, I should go get that before I forget. . .

Anyways, leave a review, tell me what you think, and hopefully I'll have a new chapter before the end of next week. I can't be sure though. . .


	7. The World Must Be Ending: Ron's Thinking

A/N: Just like I promised, here's the next chapter. It probably isn't very good, because when I force chapters out there not as good, but when I wait for inspiration, it takes months, and I need to finish these stories. Sooo here ya go!

Ginny rubbed her eyes in frustration as she closed yet another book. They had been researching ever since they had finished breakfast, and if she was correct, it was almost dinner. To remind her of that fact, her stomach growled. Where was Ron with those sandwiches he had promised?

. . .She should probably go check up on him.

Ginny got up from her seat and stretched, yawning, and went over to the door. She walked down to the kitchen, sneezing as she passed by a particularly dusty portrait. She opened the kitchen door. . .

And found her brother sitting at the table, sleeping, with his hand placed protectively over a sandwich.

Maybe they _should_ have sent Harry. . .

"Ron," she said, nudging the redhead. He didn't even twitch. A mischievous grin worthy of the Weasley twins spread across her face, and she stalked over to the sink. She found a somewhat clean pot and filled it with ice cold water, then dragged it back to the sleeping teen. "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty!" she laughed, pouring the water over Ron's head.

He woke up spitting out water, and very _very _angry. "GINNY!"

Ginny giggled and ran away from her older brother, passing Hermione on her way back from the bathroom, and hid behind Harry in the library.

"What-" he started, confused by the sudden appearence of the youngest Weasley.

"Ginny! WHY?" Ron cried, dripping water on the dirty carpet. Harry snorted, masking it with a cough. "Why would you do this to me?"

"You took too long getting our food," Ginny answered in a voice eerily similar to Percy's. Ron pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So I fell asleep. That doesn't mean you can pour icy water over my head." he muttered. Ginny stuck her tongue out at him, very maturely, mind you, and shuffled closer to Harry.

"You fell asleep?" Harry said. "You have got to be kidding me, Ron."

Ron raked his wet hair out of his eyes and put his hands on his hips, looking a lot like Hermione when she's angry. "I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, okay? I was thinking of ways that we could get around the under-age magic thing."

Ginny gasped. "You were thinking? I don't believe it."

Ron glared at her and said, "Well, believe it, because I might have found a solution to it, but I need to research it a little."

Hermione, having just walked in to the library, heard the last part of his sentence, and froze in surprise. "You need to research something? Has the world come to an end? Are pigs flying? I think so." she muttered to herself. She looked to the side for a moment, gazing at the wall thoughtfully, before nodding and turning back. "Ron, I have concluded that you are delirious with fever. Because there is no way in _hell_, that you would ever research something willingly."

And so a protesting Ron was dragged out of the library, leaving a wet puddle on the floor where he was standing.

"Do you think he is sick?" Ginny asked seriously. Harry rolled his eyes.

"I highly doubt it. Ron could probably stand in the middle of a lake, in the middle of winter, butt-naked, covered in _ice_, and he probably wouldn't get so much as a cold." Harry snorted.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you exaggerating a bit?"

"No. I am being perfectly serious. In all of the years I have known him, I have never seen him get sick, even when he chased me around outside for an hour in winter in nothing but his boxers."

"Seriously? Do you have pictures? That would be awesome blackmail." Ginny said excitedly. Harry shook his head.

"Sorry, but no. Ron burned those pictures the second he found out about them."

"That's too bad," Ginny said sadly. Harry nodded his agreement.

"I know."

Ginny sighed. "I guess we should get back to researching. They won't be back for a while; it will take Ron hours for him to convince Hermione that he's not sick."

"I agree. But first: a late lunch."

A/N: Sorry about the late update. I had this chapter half finished, then I got distracted with other things, and I finally realized, 'Oh I never finished this chapter. Guess I should finish it, huh?' And so, for you my lovely readers, I have finished this chapter. I don't know when the nexy update will be, because I'm leaving Wednesday to go to Michigan for Thanksgiving. I won't have access to a computer all week, but I will try to write, at least on the car ride there and back.

Anyways, review! Please!


	8. Harry Remembers

Ginny closed _History of the Ministry _with a groan and rubbed her eyes. They had been searching the library—well, at least she had. She didn't know about the others—she had lost them hours ago—and Ginny would be happy if she never saw another book again in her entire life. Even then it would probably be too soon.

She yawned, stretched, and put the book away. She wandered out of the library and into the sitting room, where she found her brother, Harry and Hermione sitting.

"Hey, guys," Ginny greeted, plopping down in a chair tiredly.

"Nothing?" Ron guessed.

"Nothing." Ginny confirmed.

Harry startled upright, putting a hand to his head. "I can't believe I forgot." He chuckled.

"What?" Hermione asked. "What did you forget?"

"Remember in second year, when Dobby first visited me?" Harry asked. Ron and Hermione nodded, Ginny shrugged. "Well, he did magic to drop a cake on some guests the Dursley's had over that night. I almost got expelled because of it."

"So? What does that have to do with our problem now?" Ron said. And then, "Oh. I get it."

Harry grinned at Ginny and Hermione's blank expressions. "It wasn't me, but the Ministry didn't know that. That means—"

"That the Ministry doesn't know exactly who did underage magic!" Hermione interrupted. "So as long as there are other underage kids around, Ginny can do magic."

"Actually, that was a part of my idea." Ron said thoughtfully. "I remembered Dad telling us that when we were younger. I had just remembered that the other day, when Ginny attacked me with that water."

"I did not attack you!" Ginny exclaimed. "But, I remember that, too. It was just after Fred and George turned your teddy bear into a spider. There's one problem, though. How are we going to make sure there are other underage kids there?"

Harry scowled at the wall. "I guess we just have to plan carefully."

Hermione jumped up and headed to the door. "Well, I'm going to research this a bit more. We need a full understanding of this before we do any kind of planning. Some on, Ron." She said.

Ron looked up. "Huh?"

"You haven't done anything all day. You're going to help me."

When Ron didn't get up, Hermione glared at him and grabbed his arm. She dragged him away towards the library, and, looking over his shoulder, Ron mouthed, "Help me."

Ginny waved at him happily, and Harry grinned as Ron disappeared around the corner.

"Let's play some chess," Harry suggested.

"Okay." Ginny agreed.

Ron wasn't seen again until the next morning at breakfast.

A/N: Sorry for the kinda short chapter. But the only time I had to write was in the car, and I was hardly ever in the car. But I'll make it up to you, I promise! I'll try to get another chapter up this week.


	9. The Game is Set, Pieces are Nervous

A/N: I am so sorry about not updating! I have just been so stressed with trying to bring my grade up in social studies, but I have found the time to type this chapter for you guys, but just barely.

Ginny coughed harshly into her hand—huh, guess her cold wasn't completely gone. She ignored the bad feeling coursing through her veins and turned back to the piece of parchment with the entire plan written out on it, and she made sure she had everything she needed, before nodding to herself and folding the parchment. She slipped it into her pocket, then walked over to where Harry waited with the Invisibility Cloak.

"You ready?" he asked, glancing behind her to Hermione and Ron, who were having a heated discussion about something.

"Yeah," she said, trying to hide the fact that she was shaking with fear. "I'm ready."

Hermione and Ron joined them, and Harry opened the door leading outside warily. When he saw no one around, he led the way to the entrance of the ministry.

/

Ginny stared at her three friends, trying to remember who Harry was, and who Ron was. You couldn't blame her; they looked nothing like themselves with the help of the Polyjuice Potion.

Hermione was easy to pick out; she was the only girl there. Well, besides Ginny, but the redhead knew who she was, so she wasn't counting herself.

Harry was trying to adjust to his taller body, and he kept glancing at the unconscious three ministry workers they were posing as.

"Now remember," Hermione said to Harry, smoothing down her robes. "You have to find the Horcrux, find the rest of us, and get out. Ginny, stay close to one of us; tug on one of our sleeves if we get separated so that we know you're there."

Ginny nodded, pulling the Invisibility Cloak over her shoulders. "I know, Hermione. We've gone over this plan hundreds of times; I have it memorized."

She coughed then, and Ron glanced at her worriedly out of the corner of his eye. She rolled her eyes at him, indicating that she was fine, even though her throat was hurting again, and she felt a little sick.

Hermione sighed nervously, adjusting her robes again. "I know. I just don't want anything to go wrong."

"Hermione," Ron chuckled, tearing his gaze away from Ginny to stare at Hermione. "Nothing is going to go wrong."

"Come on," Harry interrupted, forcing his way out the half open door. "We only have about forty-five minutes before we're back to ourselves. We have to hurry."

Ginny ducked under the Invisibility Cloak, and Ron checked to make sure she was completely covered, before both Weasley's followed after their friends.

Ginny stayed close to Hermione, knowing that the boys would be separated from them any moment now. The redhead clutched the silky fabric of the cloak as the wind picked up.

She didn't know if she was ready for this anymore. Especially with her feeling like this; if she coughed at the wrong time, she could give her position away, and then… well, who knows what would happen.

But it was too late to turn back now. This whole plan leaned heavily against her.

So with a deep breath, Ginny followed her best friend into the bathroom stall that would get them into the Ministry.

A/N: I am so, so, so sorry about not updating! I've just been really busy with my birthday coming up, and I haven't had much time to type lately. I can write; I just can't type. Nikki's been hogging it. Anyways, hope you like the chapter, even though nothing really major happened, and please review! Maybe I'll be able to squeeze in a few more updates on my other stories by tomorrow.


	10. Pain, Dementors, and Horcruxes

The Ministry was a lot smaller then Ginny remembered; of course, that could be because the last time she was here, it was dark and it was her fourth year.

As she followed her friends through the crowded area, she had trouble keeping out of sight and not be jostled by passing witches and wizards.

The redhead vaguely wondered if her father was working today when Harry stopped in front of her. She slipped closer to him and lightly touched his arm through the cloak. He nodded to her slightly, signaling that they had to start the plan. It was now or never.

Ginny pulled her wand out of her boot, clutching it so tightly her knuckles turned white. She glimpsed Hermione muttering something under her breath, and her wand twitching subtly, when utter chaos broke out.

Ron had slipped away and sucked the light away with the Deluminator, while Hermione gestured for Harry and Ginny to find Umbridge's office quickly, before order could be restored.

Harry sprinted down the corridor with Ginny behind him, ducking past Ministry workers as they hurried to the source of all the confusion.

Ginny heard shrieks of orders being thrown around behind her as workers tried to figure out what had happened. Whatever Hermione had done, she had done it well.

"Where's Umbridge's office?" Ginny panted beside Harry, risking the sentence because of the fact that they were alone.

"Uhh…down here." Harry turned a corner and slid to a stop in front of a door. He scowled in disgust as he tore Moody's eye out of the door. He pocketed it and looked both ways down the corridor before opening the door and shoving Ginny inside.

She tore the cloak off and rushed to the desk in the middle of the room; dropping her wand back in her boot. She tugged open drawer after drawer, but couldn't find anything that resembled the Horcrux.

'Bloody hell,' she thought, pulling open the only drawer she hadn't checked. She shoved aside papers, but stopped short when she saw something, a glimpse of a familiar face.

Mad-Eye Moody.

Why—Oh God. There was a giant red X through his picture.

She flipped through the rest of the pile. She saw Hermione, Sirius…Dumbledore. All with 'traitor' written under their name.

The redhead gulped and closed the drawer. There was nothing that she needed in there.

She turned her attention to the top of the desk. It was mostly normal, with quills and ink pots, parchment, tea cups. But there was one thing that didn't belong there.

There was a poster of Harry, with "Undesirable Number One" written across the top in bold letters.

"Ah, crap," she muttered. So now Harry was a wanted criminal—well, okay, she already knew that, but this just confirmed that.

The youngest Weasley heard someone outside calling for order, and gradually it quieted. She had to get out of here.

She pulled the cloak back on and slipped back out the door, hand reaching for her wand. She tugged on Harry's sleeve, and he jerked almost unnoticeably. She found the back of his hand, and slowly traced 'no' into his skin.

Harry gazed down at her visible hand, blocked from view by his body. He sighed and started moving forward, on his way to find Ron or Hermione.

They found Ron first. He was hanging out by the lifts, just like planned.

Ginny crept up behind her brother, placing her invisible hand in the middle of his back. He stiffened, but no one but her and Harry noticed. They all stepped into an empty lift, reaching up to hold onto the grips hanging down from the ceiling.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked.

"She had to go down to the courtrooms. With Umbridge." Ron answered, clenching his hand into a fist.

Ginny coughed harshly, rubbing her throat under the cloak. Ron and Harry glanced back at her worriedly, and waved them away—not that they could see her, of course.

The lift stopped, the cool female voice announcing that they were at the courtrooms. Ginny followed her two friends as they walked briskly down the corridor, listening out for Umbridge's voice.

"It's bloody cold down here," Ron muttered, raking his wet hair out of his eyes. Ginny decided not to ask.

They turned down a hallway, and at the end Ginny could see Umbridge sitting up high at a podium at the far end of the court room. There was a woman sitting down in the middle, head bowed to stare at her clasped hands. A misty cat, a Patronus, stalked around the room.

"Mary Elizabeth Cattermole, of 27 Chislehurst Gardens, Great Tolling, Evesham," Umbridge said.

"Yes." The woman said quietly. She didn't look up.

"Mother to Maisie, Ellie, and Alfred. Wife to Reginald." Umbridge continued.

"Yes." Mary moved her hands to clench the arms of the wooden chair. Harry shoved Ron forward to stand behind Mary.

"Thank you, Albert," Umbridge said, smiling in a sweetly sick way.

Ginny glanced around the room, spotting Hermione sitting to Umbridge's left. She looked terrified. The redhead could also see the Horcrux hanging down from around Umbridge's neck, glinting in the weak light.

"Mary Elizabeth Cattermole," Umbridge said.

"Yes." Mary said, her voice a bit stronger now that her 'husband' was here.

"Upon your arrival at the Ministry, a wand was taken from you. Mrs. Cattermole, is this that wand?" Umbridge held up a wand.

"Yes."

"Mrs. Cattermole, would you please tell the people gathered here from which witch or wizard you _took_ this wand from?"

"I didn't take if from anyone. I got it at Diagon Alley, at Ollivander's, when I was eleven." Mary said quietly, voice choked with her tears of fear.

"You're lying." Umbridge stated.

Harry stepped forward, wand raised.

"Albert, what are you doing?" Umbridge questioned, shocked.

"You're lying, Dolores." Harry said, biting back his anger. "And one must not tell lies."

His face started shifting, turning back into the normal Harry as the Polyjuice Potion wore off.

"_Stupefy_!" Harry cried. Umbridge slumped back in her chair, and Hermione leaped forward and ripped the Horcrux off her neck.

"It's Harry Potter!" Mary said as Ron pushed her down the corridor, sprinting to get away from the Dementors that had appeared when the cat disappeared.

"It is! This will be one to tell the kids!" Ron said.

Ginny tore the cloak off again to run faster. She clutched it in her hand, the silky fabric streaming behind her, as she slid to a stop in front of the lift, hopping in just as Harry slammed the lift door shut.

But that wasn't enough to stop the Dementors.

They reached through the bars, inhaling, sucking away the good thoughts.

Harry somehow managed to raise his wand arm, shouting something Ginny couldn't hear over the shrieks she heard from Mary. But then the Patronus appeared, streaking towards the cloaked creatures, driving them back.

By the time they got to the main floor, Ron was the only one who's Polyjuice still hadn't worn off. Mary was clutching his arm tightly, muttering to herself as Ginny, Harry and Hermione fought their way through the crowded area.

They stopped when they realized that Ron had fallen back, talking to Mary quietly. And then Mary was kissing Ron, oblivious to the fact that he wasn't her husband.

Ron shuddered as he returned to his normal body, Reginald disappearing as Mary broke away from him, staring at him in shock.

"Mary?" someone called from behind Ginny. She turned to see the real Reginald Cattermole striding towards his wife, wearing just his undershirt and boxers.

"Nice meeting you," Ron said hurriedly, glancing behind him, searching for any sign of someone who was after them.

He caught up to Ginny and the others, when a wizard called, "It's Harry! Harry Potter!"

"Crap!" Harry shouted, sprinting forward towards the Floo. Shouts of 'Harry Potter!' and 'Get him!' followed them as they dodged stunned people. Security guards chased them, flyers flew at them, and Yaxley, having finally caught up to them, fired curse after curse at Ron and Ginny, who had fallen behind the others in their game of dodge the people.

Harry lurched forward, falling into the last Floo fireplace open; Hermione followed him, just barely missing a curse sent after her. Ginny jumped in at the same time Ron did, and they both felt the hand on their wrists as Yaxley lunged at them.

The next few seconds were filled with pain-filled screams as Ron and Ginny fought to get the man off of them, and they were wrenched place to place due to Apparation. Then Ginny was thrown to the ground, screaming next to her equally-in-pain older brother.

A/N: God this took a while! I had to keep referencing the movie, and when I finally had everything I needed, my mom stole the computer from me. But I have finally finished, and I am extremely proud of myself. This is almost FOUR PAGES LONG PEOPLE! I deserve a treat for sitting through this pain.

Anyways, I probably would have split it in half, if it hadn't been for the fact that I wanted the whole Ministry thing to be one chapter.

But please, review! I worked hard to finish this for you, I deserve some feedback!


	11. A Little Bit of Sibling Alone Time

Ginny screamed again at the same time that Ron groaned. The pain in her arm was terrifying—it felt like her entire arm had been chopped off.

She screamed again, tears mingling with the blood on her neck from Ron's and her own wound as she struggled to breathe through the horrifying pain.

She heard Hermione calling to Harry to get something, heard her say that she and her brother had been Splinched, but it went through her fogged brain without her registering it.

Then the pain was relieved, and she could breathe normally again, and she could feel Ron trembling at her side as the pain dulled for him too.

"You're okay," someone said above her, smoothing her hair away from her sweaty face. "You're fine."

She couldn't tell who it was, probably Harry, because she could hear her Hermione talking to Ron quietly.

She opened her eyes finally, gazing up at the clouded sky. Harry was crouching next to her, smiling, relieved that she was alright.

Ginny tried to push herself up on to her elbows, but fell back with a yelp as she twitched in pain. Ron wasn't faring much better; his face was gray and his entire left side—the side closest to Ginny—was soaked in blood. It mixed with Ginny's on the ground, staining it a dark rusty brown.

"Stay down," Hermione snapped at her, her eyes filled with tears she refused to let fall. Her breath shuddered when she took a deep breath, and she stood up, holding her wand tightly. She walked in a circle around the three of them, casting protective charms and who knows what else.

"What happened?" Ginny croaked, coughing weakly.

"Yaxley was able to grab onto you and Ron when we Disapparated and you both got Splinched when Hermione had to change our destination." Harry said, rummaging through Hermione's bag. He swore under his breath, taking out his wand and muttering, "_Accio tent_," when he couldn't find what he needed.

"We can't go back to Grimmauld Place; Hermione said that Yaxley may have seen it. We can't risk it." The raven continued, gazing at the tent in confusion. "I thought this tent belonged to Perkins, that guy from the Ministry?" he called to Hermione.

"He didn't want it, so Mr. Weasley said I could borrow it." Hermione answered. She pointed her wand at the tent and muttered, "_Erecto_." The tent assembled itself, and Harry fell backwards as the rope he was holding flew out of his hands.

"Come on. We have to get you two inside." Harry said.

Through a combination of carrying, dragging, and swearing, Harry and Hermione were able to get them inside the tent and onto beds.

Harry, Hermione and Ron talked for while, but Ginny was tired, having not slept well the last night, and their voices were soothing. The one constant in her life.

She remembered when she was younger and she would have nightmares; instead of going to her parent's, like most girls would do, she went to her older brother. Ron would always talk to her until she fell asleep curled next to him in his bed, and when Mum came to wake Ron in the morning, she would smile sadly at her two youngest and let them sleep in a little later.

His voice was always the only thing that had gotten her to sleep; and even after being Splinched it still had the same effect on her that it did when she was six. She fell into a blissfully dreamless sleep.

/\

Ron gazed at his younger sister quietly, trying to see if she was okay. He had always been protective of her, being closest to her in age and always being the one brother she went to with her problems.

Ginny shifted, groaning when she rubbed her bad arm against the mattress. Her eyes snapped open, and Ron forced himself to his feet and over to his sister. He sat down on the edge of the bed, wiping away the sweat on her face.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

She panted, nodding slightly. "Yeah, I'm okay. My arm will probably never be the same again," she joked weakly. "This is the second time I've been Splinched on this arm."

He smiled sadly. "You'll be fine. As long as you don't get Splinched again, at least."

They fell silent, listening to the sound of Harry and Hermione's voices drifting in through the open tent flap.

"Ginny," Ron said. The younger redhead looked up at her brother. "Are you really okay? You've been coughing a lot lately, and you seem to have trouble swallowing."

Just to prove his point, Ginny coughed. "I'm fine. Just a bit of a cold."

"Again?" Ron said. "I thought you got better."

"I thought I did too. It must have calmed down a bit, then come back raging full force."

"Ginny, you know you can talk to me, right?" Ron said, glancing at the stark white bandage wrapped around his sister's arm.

"Of course I do. You've always been the first person I come to when I need help." Ginny said.

"Then promise me that no matter what happens on this trip, you will always follow your heart, no matter what others are saying to you."

Ginny gulped, looking into the bright blue eyes of her older brother. "I promise, Ron."

"Good." He sighed in relief. "I have one more thing to ask of you."

"What?"

"Always stay my little sister, no matter how old you get."

She chuckled, pulling Ron down to lay next to her, just like when she had nightmares. "I promise."

Ginny curled into her older brother, sighing as his warmth enveloped her and coaxed her back to sleep.

Ron closed his eyes as Ginny's breathing evened out, listening to the soothing sound. He desperately hoped that Ginny would keep her promises.

A/N: Man, I am on a roll! Two chapters in one day! This definitely deserves a treat (or a review ).

Anyways. So you got a little Ron and Ginny sibling happiness at the end. I just imagine them as being almost as close to each other as Fred and George, being so close in age and all. That's just me, though. Everyone has their own opinions. Mine just happens to make sense to me.


	12. Rain and Arguements

Days passed. Ron and Ginny's wounds steadily healed, whereas Ron's attitude steadily got worse. He started snapping at everyone, even Ginny and Hermione, when they hit dead ends with the Horcrux.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" the older redhead asked angrily one day. They had been taking turns wearing the Horcrux, and right now it was Ron's turn. Ginny had figured out that he was always worse when he was wearing it.

"Of course I know what I'm doing." Harry replied just as angrily. "Dumbledore said—"

"Dumbledore didn't tell you anything! He tells you to go hunt down Horcruxes, but doesn't tell you where to find them. What do you call that?" Ron shouted. Ginny bit her lip and glanced between her brother and Harry.

"Ron—"Hermione started, but Harry cut her off.

"What did you think was going to happen? I thought you knew what you signed up for!"

"So did I!"

Their voices rose, and Ginny didn't want to think about what might result from this long-coming argument.

"Ron!" Ginny cried, but her older brother ignored her. He had stepped closer to Harry, and now they were standing a foot away from each other, yelling into each other's faces.

"Fine!" Harry finally shouted. "Fine. If you want to leave so badly, then leave."

Hermione had tears dripping down her face, and she was frantically trying to stop Ron as he ripped the Horcrux off his neck. He looked pointedly at Hermione and Ginny.

"Well?" he said. "Are you staying or leaving?"

Hermione bit her lip and shuffled closer to Harry, whereas Ginny gazed into the green eyes she knew so well.

And in that moment, she knew what she had to do.

She followed her brother as he stalked out of the tent and into the rain.

/\/\

"Ron!" Ginny screamed as a warning when they Disapparated to an empty street.

The wizard lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Ginny to keep her still. One of his buddies got Ron, while another held onto their wands.

"What're you doing out here?" the one holding their wands asked.

"Uh…"Ginny looked at her brother expectantly. He was the older brother, this was his job!

"We're here…because our mother wanted us to go see out grandmother. She's been sick, and Mum thought she might get better if she saw us." Ron said. Ginny nodded to confirm this story.

"What're your names?"

"Kathryn and Nathan Smith." Ginny answered. One of the men stared at her suspiciously, flipping through a small book that he pulled out of his pocket.

"You're not in here," he said, snapping the book shut with a flick of his wrist.

"That's because we're visiting from Ireland. Because of our grandmother." Ron supplied.

"They can't be," a man said. "We would know about them, wouldn't we?"

They started arguing, and in the confusion, Ron was able to elbow the guy holding him in the gut, snatch the man's wand, and disarm the man holding their wands. He handed Ginny her wand and gestured for her to run, and she sprinted after him.

"We made it," she panted minutes later, hunched over her knees gasping for breath. Then she straightened, glaring at her brother. "What did you do that for? You just left your best friends, when you said you would help them!"

"I know," Ron said, his head bowed, staring at the ground guiltily. "I know."

"And now we can't go back! There's no way we'll find them, especially with all of the charms Hermione put around the campsite."

"I know. Let's just find somewhere to stay the night, and we'll figure out what to do tomorrow." Ron said, walking down the street. Ginny stared at his back, the rain pouring down, soaking her clothes and hair. Her cold may be finally gone, but she was definitely going to get sick after this.

She hurried after him, trailing behind him as he found a place to stay. They only had enough money to get one room, but Ginny was fine with that. Truthfully, she was too cold to argue.

In the room, she took a hot shower, changing into a set of pajamas that the woman at the front desk had offered her. She tied her up to keep if off her neck and crawled under the covers, huddling in the warmth her brother's body had left while he went to take a shower.

Ron slid under the covers next to his sister, pulling her into his arms. They laid there in silence for a moment, listening to the heater.

"How are we ever going to get back to them?" Ginny whispered, tucking her head under her brother's chin.

"I don't know, Ginny." He answered."But we'll find a way. We always have."

"But how can you be sure? They're going to have all of those charms, and they aren't going to be in the same place if we go back there tomorrow."

"We'll find a way."

Silence reigned again, and Ginny stared at the wall at the end of their bed.

"Ginny?" Ron asked.

"Hmm?"

"Why did you follow me?"

"Because my heart told me too."

A/N: Man, I am on a roll. Who else agrees that I am the goddess of awesomeness? Because I think I am. Anyways, you get some more sibling interaction between Ron and Ginny. And for those of you wondering, the Harry and Ginny part of the story is coming. Don't worry; we're getting there.


	13. Family is Nice

Ginny woke up to an empty bed; Ron had left to get some food.

She sat up, letting the covers fall into her lap. She glanced around the room, seeing that her clothes were now dry and laying on the couch.

She didn't stand up and change like she normally would. Instead she wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her chin on her knees. She let her mind wander, not focusing on one particular thought.

_How did they find us on the café?_ She wondered. _Hmm…maybe…were they following us?_

Ginny didn't know the answer to that question_. I wonder what Harry's doing._

She still cared about Harry; she always had. Her fifth year had been one of her best because of her relationship with him. When they had broken up it had nearly torn her apart—she had spent countless nights with Ron, spilling her anger and sadness out to her ex-boyfriend's best friend.

She could understand why Harry had done it, just like she could understand why they couldn't truly be together without fear until the war was over. That didn't mean she liked it.

Ginny didn't want to admit it, but being around Harry and having to act normal was hard. They could never go back to what they had been before they had dated. There was no way.

Ron kicked the door closed with his foot, dropping a bag on the desk.

"Did you just wake up?" he asked, slipping his coat off. She shook her head.

"No, I've been up. I'm just too lazy to get up." She answered. He rolled his eyes.

"Here, I got some muffins from the bakery down the street." He plopped down next to her, munching on his blueberry muffin while she ate her banana one.

"So, what are we going to do?" Ginny asked, licking her lips. Merlin, those were good muffins.

"I sent a Patronus to Bill. He said that we could stay with him and Fleur for a while, and Mum doesn't need to know." Ron said, grabbing another muffin from the bag.

"How are we going to get there? Apparate?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah, I saw the place before they moved in. It's actually kind of nice there. They have their own private beach and everything."

"Sweet."

/\/\

Ginny stared at her eldest brother's cottage, still gripping Ron's hand.

"You're right; this place is nice." Ginny said absently, dropping his hand.

Bill jogged out the front door, coming to meet them halfway. "Ginny! Ron! Are you two alright?"

He pulled Ginny into a hug, and she laughed. "We're fine. A few scratches, nothing much."

She purposely left out the fact that she was Splinched twice. Bill had always been protective of her and Ron, being the youngest and all.

He clapped Ron on the back, sighing in relief. "Well, that's good. Come on, I'll show you around."

The cottage wasn't very big, with only three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room. With the tour done, Ron and Ginny followed their older brother back to the kitchen, where Fleur was making lunch.

"Nothing fancy, just a sandwich," Bill said. "But you should be fine."

Ron and Ginny ate almost all the sandwiches, having not eaten much the last couple weeks, but they felt much better after lunch. While Fleur cleared the dishes away—Ginny would have helped her, except she insisted that she rest—Bill studied his younger siblings.

"So," he said. "You know, Ginny, Mum's been worried sick about you." Ginny bit her lip.

"I figured. But I couldn't do anything. When the Death Eaters attacked, I was pushed into Harry while they were Apparateing. They couldn't risk sending me back."

"That makes sense. But can you at least send her an owl telling her you're safe? You don't have to tell her you're here; just say that you saw me and wanted to make sure Mum knew you were safe." Bill pleaded. "She keeps bugging everyone with her nonstop worrying. And truthfully, Dad isn't that far behind her."

"Yeah, I can do that." Ginny consented. "It's the least I can do after all this."

"Thanks." Bill smiled. "So, what have you been doing? I read somewhere that you four broke into the Ministry."

"Yeah." Ron laughed. "We did. We didn't think it would be that hard."

"Bill," Ginny said. "What are we going to do? We left Harry and Hermione, and we have no idea how to get back to them."

Bill frowned. "Why did you leave them in the first place?"

Ron flushed, fingering the table nervously.

"Ron," Bill warned. "You didn't let your temper overrule everything else again, did you?"

Ron chuckled nervously. "Umm…maybe?"

"Ron, how many times have we told you to control your temper?" Bill sighed.

"Several times."

"Exactly."

"Bill, I'm going to write that letter. Can I have some parchment and a quill?" Ginny interrupted. She didn't want to be there while Ron got scolded.

"Yeah, sure."

Fleur handed Ginny the requested items silently, going back to her seat to read her book. "Thanks."

The blonde nodded as indication that she had heard her. Ginny started scratching the quill across the thick parchment, quickly penning the letter to her mother.

_Mum,_

_I'm sorry that I disappeared. When the Death Eaters attacked, I was pushed into Harry and he didn't have time to get me away before they Apparated. I'm okay, though; Ron's been making sure that I'm okay._

_The only reason you're getting this letter is because I saw Bill when we Apparated near his new place. We stayed for the night, and we're leaving this afternoon. _

_Bill told me how worried you were about us. Mum, we're fine. We are all capable of taking care of ourselves. Even though Ron's not the smartest. _

_Just remember: these are your children—both by blood and adopted—that you're worrying about. You raised us all well, Mum, we'll be fine._

_Love,_

_Ginny_

"Hey!" Ron said, interrupting her thinking. "What do you mean, 'not the smartest'?"

She looked at her brother's face, hanging over her shoulder to read the letter while she wrote.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked, holding back laughter.

"Yes, actually, you can. I need to write something, too."

He snatched the quill from her and added to her letter, starting under her name.

_Ron here. First of all, I don't agree with what Ginny said earlier. I can be smart when I want to!_

_Two: Mum, stop worrying about us. Like Ginny said, we're old enough to take care of ourselves. Plus, Ginny has me, the best big brother ever, to take care of her._

_Love, _

_Ron_

"Okay," he said, laying the quill down. "It's done. You can send it now."

Ginny smiled sadly as she watched Bill fold up the letter. What she wouldn't give for this war to be over and for everyone to be together again.

A/N: Whew! Finished. Jeez, that's four chapters in one week. Does anyone else find that a little strange?

Anyways, a lot of you have been telling me that the only reason the three of them got attacked by the Death Eaters was because they said Voldemort's name. I know that; I have it all figured out. So, please, stop reviewing me about that! I know, and I've got it handled. So review about the good things, please?


	14. Almost There

Days passed. Ginny and Ron fell into a routine at Shell Cottage. They would wake up in the same bed, Ginny having had a nightmare at some point during the night and climbed into bed next to Ron, get dressed, and go downstairs. Fleur would meet them with breakfast, glaring at them—she was mad at them for leaving their friends—while Bill would say goodbye to them before he went to work.

The rest of the morning they would help Fleur clean, trying to make her talk to them again, and when she hadn't smiled at them by lunch, they would give up. After lunch they would lock themselves in either Ron or Ginny's room and talk about ways they could get back to Harry and Hermione.

When Bill came home, they would eat dinner and listen to how his day went. After the dishes had been washed, they would sit down in the living room and listen to the radio until it was time for bed.

Bill had been informed of a radio station that was for Harry, and every night they would say the password and listen to voices that were familiar to them. When the radio was off, they would say goodnight and go to their rooms.

Ginny would then have a nightmare and move into Ron's room for the night, just like old times.

This pattern continued until the day before Christmas. That night Ron had stayed up later than usual, his arm curled lightly around Ginny's shoulders. Her breathing had evened out a while ago, signaling that she was asleep.

He was absently flicking the Deluminator Dumbledore had left him on and off, watching the lamp beside his bed go out, then back on.

If he had looked out the window he would have seen that it was actually early in the morning, but he didn't. He was too busy trying to hear what he had just heard again.

And then he heard it again, a whisper of what sounded like Hermione's voice. "Your wand…" she had said.

He blinked, sure he wasn't imagining things. He glanced at the Deluminator, clicking it. Like usual, the light went out. But when he clicked it again, instead of returning the light to the lamp, it appeared outside his window.

Ron blinked again and carefully extracted his arm out from under his sister, moving silently over to the window. Then he smiled, nearly laughing in his happiness.

He slid back over to the bed, shaking Ginny awake. "Ginny," he whispered. "Get up."

Her eyes fluttered open, and she glared groggily at him. "What?" she hissed. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Who cares?" he said, moving over to his pack. He shoved his clothes and what other things he had brought with him in there. "Get packing. I know how we can get to Harry and Hermione."

Ginny sat upright, staring at him. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "Yeah. But we have to leave before they get up, or else Bill won't let you leave. He'll want you to stay here."

He had barely finished his sentence before she was creeping out the door to her room across the hall.

Ron quickly changed clothes and scribbled a note to Bill explaining what had happened to them. When Ginny came back, he was ready to leave and gestured for her to follow him.

They walked through the house as quiet as mice, silently closing the front door behind them. Ginny didn't know what her brother's plan was, but as long as they got back to their friends safe and sound, she would go with anything.

She stopped short at the sight of the glowing blue ball hovering above the garden.

Ron went right on ahead though, stopping a foot short of the dark dirt. His red hair shone under the rising sun, making it look much more vivid then it actually was. His hand stretched out towards the ball, but it moved out of his reach, leading him to the shed.

Ginny cautiously followed. She didn't know what this thing was, and she had learned her lesson with the diary in her first year. Don't interact with things that can think for themselves. She didn't know if this ball fell under that category or not, but she wasn't going to be stupid.

Oh well. Sorry, Dad, but I can't let Ron go alone, she thought.

When Ron stretched out his hand to touch the ball of light, Ginny wasn't surprised when the light flew forward and into her older brother. She had seen so many weird things lately; she doubted anything could surprise her now.

Ron held out his hand to Apparate, but Ginny froze when she heard Bill call her name frantically. She turned her head, gazing at the eldest Weasley as he yelled at her from his bedroom window.

"Sorry, Bill!" she called, taking Ron's hand. The last thing she saw was Fleur appear next to Bill and call her name, also.

When the world stopped spinning, Ginny looked around at their surroundings. They were in a forest, tap trees rising up around them. There was a light covering of snow under her feet, and it crunched under her boots as she shifted her weight.

She let go of Ron's hand and sighed, leaning against the trunk of tree behind her. "So," she said. "Where are we?"

"I don't know." Ron said, blue eyes searching the dark forest for something. "The light told me what to do."

"You're kidding me, right?" Ginny asked worriedly, her own eyes raking over her brother's face. He shook his head. "What about everything Dad told us about not trusting things that have a mind of their own?"

"This was Dumbledore's, Ginny."

"So?"

"Whatever. I'm going to go scout around and see if I can find them."

"Fine. I'll stay here."

Ginny climbed the tree to sit on the lowest branch, swinging her legs as Ron disappeared.

A/N: Okay! So, I was thinking that you guys deserve a prize for all the reviews you've been giving me—I mean, the story. Oh, who am I kidding, the story's mine, they're for me. Anyways, I've decided that you all are so nice, and I wanted to do something nice for you, back. So, whoever is the 75th reviewer, YOU will get to choose what story I update next, or if you want, I can write a oneshot for you. Doesn't matter to me, really. I'll announce who it is when we get there, and you can PM me or something with your choice.

Love you all, thanks so much for the reviews! Keep 'em coming!


	15. Under the Water

Ginny awoke with a start, just barely able to grip the branch she was sitting on to keep from falling. She blinked, shaking her head, struggling to wake up.

At some point Ron must have come back, because the sleeping bag was spread across her legs. Plus, the bag that Ron had brought was sitting at the trunk of the tree, with a line of footprints leading back out into the forest.

Ginny yawned, vaguely wondering where her brother was, when a twig snapped under her. She froze in the middle of stretching, arms spread out on either side of her. Her eyes flickered down to the ground, searching for any sign of the thing that had cracked the twig, and the redhead sighed in relief when she saw her brother.

Ron was holding back a laugh at how ridiculous Ginny looked at the moment, and she glared at him. Dropping down to the ground, she straightened and caught the sleeping bag as it fell, aimed towards her head.

"Did you find them?" she asked.

Ron shook his head. "No. But I know they're here. I don't know how, but I can feel it."

"Fine. It's getting dark out. Maybe we should get ready for bed." Ginny suggested. It was hard to believe that they had been searching for a day, but it was true. The sun was setting, and the temperature was dropping quickly.

Ron started a small fire in a protected area, so it wouldn't go out of they fell asleep. They curled up in the single sleeping bag together, just laying there as the sun and moon traded places.

"Ron," Ginny yawned. "What if we can't find them? What will we do then?"

Only under the cover of the darkness, where she was always most vulnerable, would the youngest Weasley ever admit her fears, even to her brother.

Ron smiled, invisible in the dark night. "Ginny, we'll find them. I'll apologize for being such a prat, and then we can continue hunting for Horcruxes. It will all be fine."

Ginny sighed and tilted her head back to stare up at the stars. "But, what if we can't? Say that something happens to them, and we never find them, and we'll never know—"

"Ginny, you're over thinking this!" Ron chuckled. "Calm down. Everything will be fine."

The young redhead frowned and huddled deeper under the sleeping bag, her only comfort being the fact that if they did find Harry and Hermione, she would be with the boy she loved again.

/\/\

Ginny awoke to a shrill owl screeching nearby. Ron was sitting nearby, staring down at the embers of his fire from last night.

"Hey," He said quietly when he saw that she was awake.

"What are you doing up?" Ginny asked. She sat up and moved closer to the fire.

"Couldn't sleep. I couldn't get the fact that they keep putting up the wards out of my head. Ginny, what if we were too late and they already moved on? We would have never known." He said.

"Now you have me totally convinced that we'll find them, Ron." Ginny said sarcastically. Ron winced.

"Anyways, I've been thinking. Because of the Deluminator, we were able to get here in the first place, and I'm sure that they were here. Maybe, if we do it again, we'll actually see them this time." Ron said.

Ginny shrugged. "Couldn't do any harm."

She rolled the sleeping bag back up after pulling her boots on, stuffing it into Ron's bag. By the time she was done, Ron was putting the Deluminator away and was holding his hand out for both the bag and her arm. She offered both, and the dizzying sensation of Apparation surrounded them as they moved to their next destination.

When she opened her eyes again, it was still dark. In fact, it seemed darker here than where they had been before. Maybe it was because she hadn't known where they had been the first time, so it was just her imagination. She didn't know, but it sure seemed weird.

She leaned against a tree and tilted her head back to stare at the early morning—or was it night?—sky, marveling at how clear it was. Granted, she had never really paid attention to the sky, except for in Astronomy, and she was barely passing that class.

Ron was already dropping his bag and moving out into the dark trees surrounding them. He was gone a couple minutes, maybe longer, and Ginny occupied herself with studying the sky, trying to figure out whether it was night or day.

Judging by the constellations, bright white against the dark sky, it was nighttime.

Her sense of time was all messed up, then.

Ron came back, gesturing frantically for her to grab the bags and follow him. She frowned, but did as he said anyways, letting him lead her into the dark forest. They walked in silence, snow crunching under their feet, breath white in the air.

Ron stopped near a lake—or pond, she wasn't sure which. There was a figure standing next to it, stripping layers of clothes off and dropping them next to him. The light of his wand finally lit his face, and Ginny gasped.

"Harry!"

She tried to move forward, to make sure that this wasn't a dream, but Ron held her back and shook his head.

Harry looked around at her gasp, eyes narrowed, before bending over a hole in the frozen lake-river-pond-body of water. She saw the Horcrux hanging around his neck, and bit her lip.

_Please_, she thought desperately. _Please tell me he isn't doing what I think he's doing._

Harry jumped into the freezing cold water in just his boxers, and Ginny cried out as his head disappeared under the water.

She tried to break free of her brother's hold on her, but he shook his head again. "Wait to see what he's doing," he said.

Both siblings turned to the dark water, watching anxiously for their friend to resurface. When several seconds passed and Harry didn't reappear, Ron jumped up and ran forward. Before she could stop him, Ron had jumped in after his best friend.

A/N: Wow, this actually took a couple days. Four more reviews till we're at 75! If you really want that story, review! …..Please?


	16. Ron's Inner Demons

Ginny cried out as her brother's head disappeared under the water, running to the edge of the hole Harry had made.

Ice cold water made puddles on the ice, surrounding her and soaking into her boots as she crouched. The young redhead carefully extended her hand into the freezing water, hastily yanking it back at the temperature.

What the bloody hell did Harry think he was doing? He was going to freeze! Ginny frantically ran her hands through her vivid red hair, kicking herself for not stopping Harry—or her brother. If she lost them, she didn't know what she would do—especially because she couldn't Apparate, and she didn't know where Hermione was.

If they died, Ginny would probably die, too.

She stood up and looked around, teeth chattering. She hadn't realized how cold it was, and without a very thick coat, it was even worse.

She walked over to where Ron had thrown off his coat before jumping into the water, picking it up and draping it over her shoulders. Hey, if wasn't being used, at least she could use it, at least until Ron needed it.

When she turned back to the ice, there was an arm sticking out of the water, fingers scrabbling for purchase on the slick ice.

Ginny hurried over to the arm and grasped it, pulling either Harry or Ron out of the water—probably Ron.

When her brother's head emerged, gasping for air, she helped him out, keeping a hand on Harry's shoulder as they dragged him out of the water.

Harry coughed, a horrible, wet sound, retching on his side. Ginny crouched next to him and handed him his clothes when he was done, taking the Horcrux when he passed it to her.

"W-what are you two doing here?" Harry panted, struggling to get oxygen to his deprived lungs. Ron looked at his sister guiltily.

"I-we didn't want to leave, honestly. But when we had we couldn't get back, and then we used the Deluminator, and it brought us here, and then you jumped in, and didn't come back up—"Ron rambled on and on, and Ginny had to smack his arm for him to get the picture—shut up.

"The point is, we're sorry," Ginny said, leaning close to Harry. "We wanted to come back as soon as we left, but we got…distracted."

Harry glanced between the siblings, confused, but they didn't say anything else.

"So…how did you find me?" he asked. Ginny shrugged.

"Ask my brother."

Ron pulled out the Deluminator. "This. I can't really explain it, but right now that's not important. I want to know why you were jumping in ice cold water nearly naked!"

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Uhhh…I don't really want to tell you my reasoning behind it, but I wanted to get the sword of Gryffindor."

"Oh." Ron reached behind him and dropped the gleaming wet sword in front of the raven. "That's what I thought you wanted."

Harry jumped up, holding his hand out for the Horcrux. "Ron, you have to destroy it."

"What?" Ron recoiled. "Why me?"

"It has to be you." Harry insisted.

"That's not a good idea. It affects me more than it ever did you three." Ron argued.

"And that's why it has to be you." Harry said, dropping to his knees near a rock. He set the Horcrux on the rock and looked up at Ron. "You are the only one who can do it."

"Why can't it be Ginny?" the redhead asked.

"Because it has to be you."

"Just do it, Ron!" Ginny exclaimed. Ron glanced at her then sighed.

"Fine."

Ron forced himself to crouch in front of Harry and take the Gryffindor sword from his hand. Harry held the Horcrux down on the rock and said, "I'll speak Parseltongue, you smash it with the sword once it's open."

Ron swallowed and nodded. "Okay," he croaked. Harry closed his eyes and concentrated, then hissed out something.

The Horcrux sprang open, and three ghostly figures emerged: Harry, Hermione, and Ginny. All three were smirking, faces twisted with disgust as they stared at Ron.

The youngest Weasley brother scrambled backwards, eyes wide with hurt and confusion. Fake Hermione wrapped her arms around fake Harry. "Did you really think you had a chance with me?" she said. "When you left us, I was alone with only Harry for company. What did you think would happen?"

Ron whimpered. Harry shouted, "It's not real, Ron! Kill it!"

Ron glanced at him before his gaze was drawn back to the Horcrux, where 'Ginny' had stepped forward. "Mum always said you weren't the brightest."

'Harry' grinned and said, "She even admitted that she would have preferred me as a son. The woman who always wanted a daughter."

'Hermione' stared at Ron steadily. "I never loved you. It was always Harry. Who are you, the sixth son in a poor family, to Harry Potter, the chosen one?"

Ron was shaking, whether it was anger or fear Ginny couldn't tell. "Ron!" she cried desperately. He looked at her, blue eyes unfocused. "Don't believe it! Kill it!"

The Gryffindor sword was hanging from Ron's grasp limply. Ron gazed down at it like he was surprised to find it there.

"You can do it, Ron!" Ginny shrieked, praying that her brother would actually find the strength to do it.

Ron stared up at the gray figures hanging above his head, where 'Harry' and 'Hermione' were now pressed close together, hands roaming and lips attached to lips.

Crying out, Ron swung the sword at the locket, effectively cutting off the grotesque figures and the Horcrux screamed as it was destroyed.

Ron panted and dropped to the ground wearily. Ginny hurried over to him and crouched next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Harry crawled over to them and pulled them both into desperate hugs, his body shrugged.

Ginny clung to both of them, tears springing to her eyes. God, she had missed this.

"None of that was true?" Ron croaked.

Harry nodded, finally pulling away. "Hermione and I are just friends. She's like a sister to me, and I know she feels the same about me."

The whole time he had said this, his eyes were locked on Ginny's.

He abruptly stood up and grabbed his things, including the locket and prying the sword from Ron's sweaty fingers.

"Come on," he said quietly. "Let's go back to the tent."

A/N: Next chapter! Whoo! It's actually really funny, I had half this chapter done at home, finished this at my aunt's, and typed it at my grandma's house. Where there is no internet, so this chapter will be up when I'm back home. But, at least I got a chapter done! Review?


	17. The Reunion

Ginny pulled Ron's coat closer to her body, shivering. What she wouldn't give to be at home in a warm bed…

She pushed those thoughts from her head. That kind of thinking was what made Ron leave in the first place. She turned her attention to Harry as he stopped in front of the tent. "Hermione!" he called. "We have some surprise visitors!"

Hermione stumbled out of the tent, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She blinked tiredly at them, then shouted out as she recognized them.

She ignored Harry as he tried to explain what had happened and launched herself at Ron angrily.

"Hermione!" Harry and Ginny exclaimed, struggling to pull the murderous witch off the redhead.

The brunette finally stepped away from Ron, but she was still fuming. "You little disgraceful basta—"

"Hermione, we have a good reason for leaving you," Ginny said desperately. Hermione looked at her with hard eyes.

"And what kind of reason is that?" she asked, her eyes flashing. Ginny's blue eyes flickered from her brother to Harry, her plea for help unspoken. Ron shook his head slowly, and Harry avoided her eyes.

"Ron needed to realize that just because he doesn't have what he's used to, does not mean that he can do whatever he wants," the redhead said hopelessly. Hermione stared at her coolly.

"Ginny, that doesn't even make sense."

She shrugged. "I'm not the one trying to kill my best friend!"

"What best friend? Ronald is _certainly_ not my best friend."

"Hermione, we wanted to come back the second we left. But we were attacked by Snatchers—" Ron tried to explain.

"Snatchers? What are Snatchers?" Harry asked.

"They ambush you if they think you're a muggle-born so they can take you in to the Ministry and collect the reward money. We just barely got away," Ron added.

"Besides, there was no way to contact or find you. We ended up staying at Bill and Fleur's new place." Ginny shrugged. "Ron just needed a little time."

"Please forgive me, Hermione. I am so, _so_ sorry," Ron said. Hermione stared at him silently, then her eyes slipped closed. She turned and stalked back into the tent without answering.

Ron sighed and raked a hand through his hair sadly.

"She'll come around, Ron," Harry said. "Just give her some time."

"Yeah," Ron said. "Yeah, that's all she needs."

/\/\

Their silence deafened Ginny. Harry and Ron had tried to fill the silence with stories of what had happened while they were gone, but they soon ran out. The last ten minutes were spent in stony silence.

Ginny finally stood up, walking over to where Harry was staring at a book. "Can I talk to you?" she asked quietly. Harry blinked and looked up at her tiredly, forcing a smile and nodding.

"Yeah, sure."

They slipped out of the tent and walked ten feet away for some privacy.

"What is it you want to talk about?" Harry said.

"You believe us, right?" Her voice was soft, and her hair hid her face. She stared at the ground.

"Of course I believe you," Harry answered, stepping closer. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Because you were very angry when we left. I wasn't sure if you were still angry or not," she replied, finally glancing up at him. His eyes were dark behind his glasses, his tangled hair falling into his eyes.

She never wanted this. She never wanted to go on the run, always checking over her shoulder when she heard the slightest sound only to find it was a harmless animal. She wanted everything about Voldemort to go away, the Death Eaters and the prejudice. She just wanted her life to be normal.

She guessed that Harry wished that too.

"Ginny, I could never stay angry at you for long."

"I'm sorry."

Harry sighed. "What are you apologizing for?"

"I was never supposed to come with you. It was an accident," she said.

Harry was in front of her now, searching her face for something. His hand twitched, like he was restraining himself from something. His hand lifted and hovered inches from her cheek, before he seemed to change his mind and dropped it on her shoulder.

"I should be the one apologizing," he murmured. "I'm the reason any of you are even on the run."

She shook her head slightly, hands suddenly gripping the front of his jacket. "Harry_, don't say that_. You know we don't mind. We love you, no matter what you do. We will always stand behind you."

"You shouldn't," he muttered. "I'm dangerous for anyone to be around. Especially you."

Ginny wanted to scream. How could Harry not see that it didn't matter who he was, or how danger seemed to follow him everywhere he went, that Ginny and Ron and Hermione would always follow him?

"Harry," she whispered. Her hand slid upwards to rest on his cheek, her palm hot against his cold skin. "You need to forget this crap about doing everything alone. I will always follow you. Ron will always follow you. Hermione will always follow you. No matter what happens, we will always be there."

She leaned forward, the space between their lips slowly disappeared. She kissed him, long and slow. Her free hand, still clenching around his jacket, slid up to his shoulder, and his arms wound around her waist.

When they pulled apart, panting slightly, Harry dropped his head onto her shoulder. "Please don't leave me again," he breathed. "I don't think I would be able to handle it."

"I won't," Ginny murmured back, stroking a hand over his messy hair. "I promise."

They stood that way for several long minutes, basking in the warmth of each other and the safety that came from holding the other like this.

Ron wandered out to tell them Hermione was making dinner in a sulky silence, and that they should come inside. They forced themselves to let go and follow Ron into the tent to eat.

A/N: God, this chapter sucked. I seriously can't write anymore. But I know that several of you have been waiting for the next chapter, and honestly, I have been waiting to get past this little rut I'm in, and it seems like the only way to do that is write. Which is hard, but I'll get there. Look forward to new chapters and hopefully this story will be finished soon with regular updates.


	18. Making Up

A/N: HOLY CRAP. You guys are the best. Your reviews just keep on coming, and it seriously made me want to cry when I saw that this story has 83 favorites and 133 alerts. I don't even understand how you are still with me after so long with nothing. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I wrote this chapter extra quick just for you guys.

The next few days passed quietly, with them having to move only once, the day after Ron and Ginny came back. Hermione was still stubbornly ignoring Ron, but she was cooling off. Hermione was also avoiding Ginny, probably to hold onto her anger for as long as she could even though she knew that she needed to hear Ginny out.

Ginny cornered her when she was on watch for the afternoon while the boys talked inside. She backed the brunette witch into the tree behind her and crossed her arms. "You need to listen, Hermione."

Hermione gritted her teeth, but slid down the tree to sit on the ground. Ginny sank down next to her, wrapping her arms around her legs.

They were silent for a moment, Hermione glaring at the sky above them as Ginny gathered her thoughts. "I never would have left in the first place, Hermione. But Ron wasn't thinking properly. He would have gotten hurt in his anger, and I couldn't let that happen to my brother."

The redhead giggled a little, rolling her eyes. "Merlin knows he needs someone to watch out for him. And at that moment he needed me to be that person. Even though he's annoying, he's still my older brother. I love him."

Ginny looked at Hermione, her blue eyes showing the desperation she felt. "Hermione," she said softly. "Ron cares about you. You're one of his best friends, and it is killing him to know that he seriously messed up this time. You need to be the bigger person here and talk to him."

"Ginny…"

"Hermione, I'm serious. Everyone sees it. You two are supposed to be together, but neither of you is brave enough to make the first move. Remember last year? When Ron was dating Lavender? You were dying inside _because you love him_."

Ginny stood up and brushed her jeans off, shaking her head. "Think about it, Hermione, and afterward you need to talk to Ron."

She turned and walked back into the tent, joining Harry on the couch in the middle of the large tent. "What's our next move?" she asked anxiously as Harry automatically draped an arm over her shoulder.

Harry looked to Ron and shrugged. "No idea. We've run out of ideas for Horcruxes at the moment. Godric's Hollow was a dead end, and the only real clue we have is the snake, which You-Know-Who no doubt has guarded closely."

"And there's no way of getting into Malfoy Manor with Death Eaters crawling all over the place, where they're probably hiding out," Ron added.

More silence. Ginny was just about to say something when Hermione sat in the chair next to Ron, the closest she had willingly been since before they left. Ginny fought back a smirk by licking her lips.

Ron was very still in his seat, but Hermione, for the most part, ignored him. Instead she pulled out the book she had picked up in Godric's Hollow, _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_, and held it out to Harry.

"Look at Dumbledore's signature," she said, pointing to the bottom of the page the book was open to. Harry and Ginny leaned closer with no idea of what they were supposed to be looking for. Ron actually seemed to find it before them.

"The A…it looks like Lovegood's necklace," Harry finally said. Ginny finally saw it and nodded.

"Yeah, it does."

"It's everywhere," Hermione said. "The old grave in Godric's Hollow, and now in the book. We obviously can't ask Dumbledore, but Mr. Lovegood was wearing a necklace like this at the wedding. He should know what it means."

"You think we should go see him," Ginny finished for her. Hermione nodded.

"I don't know…" Harry shook his head. "We don't want another Godric's Hollow…"

"I think we should go," Ron said. "Besides, he's on your side, Harry! _The Quibbler_ has been with you this entire time."

Ginny stifled a laugh as she realized what he was trying to do. Agreeing with Hermione probably wouldn't get him far.

Harry still seemed reluctant when he finally nodded. "Yeah, okay, let's go. We don't have anything else to go off of."

Hermione smiled sadly and stood, dropping the book on the chair after her. "Ron," she said softly. "Can I talk to you?"

Ginny breathed out a sigh of relief because, finally, they were getting somewhere. But Ron tensed and looked to Harry for help, who shook his head and glared at him. Ron followed Hermione slowly and carefully, like he was approaching a skittish horse.

Harry and Ginny sat in silence while their friends talked by the same tree Ginny had confronted Hermione by.

/\/\

Hermione felt guilty. Yeah, she was mad at Ron, probably always would be mad at him for something. She knew Ginny was right; she did have to talk to Ron.

She led him over to the tree a little ways away, far enough from the tent that Harry and Ginny couldn't hear them. She leaned against the rough bark and looked at the redhead.

"Ron…" She trailed off. How could she start this?

"Hermione, I am so sorry."

"I know you are, Ron." Hermione stepped closer to him, laying a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry too. For everything."

"Hermione…" Ron looked like he wanted to say something important, probably about how it was his fault in the first place and she shouldn't need to apologize. She pressed her lips to his and slid her arms up around his neck, and waited until she felt him respond.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, crushing her to his body, and she felt like crying. After everything they had been through, it took Ron leaving with the possibility of never seeing him again to finally knock some sense into her.

She couldn't believe she had been so stupid. And she was supposed to be the smart one.

When they pulled apart, Hermione rested her head on his shoulder. Ron's arms stayed around her waist.

"When you left," Hermione whispered into his jacket. "I cried for days. Harry and I…we were miserable. We were lost for several days, no idea what we were supposed to do next." She lifted her head, looked into Ron's bright blue eyes. "You can't do that again. We—I would not be able to handle it."

"I promise that I will never leave again, Hermione." Ron closed his eyes briefly, summoning a grim smile. "You're stuck with me now."

Hermione had to laugh softly, shaking her head. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

/\/\

Ginny smiled when Hermione and Ron entered the tent holding hands. "Made up, did you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ginny, otherwise ignoring her.

"Yeah, we're good," Ron said. "We should leave tomorrow for Lovegood's house."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "I'll take first watch. You three should get some sleep."

Ginny yawned, just now realizing how tired she was. She really did need some sleep.

"Yeah, okay," she said. She extracted herself from under Harry's arm and pressed a kiss to Harry's cheek.

"Night," Harry said.

Ginny climbed into her bunk and curled up under the blankets. She yawned again and pressed closer to the mattress under her, falling asleep within moments.


	19. Uncomfortable What Ifs?

Ginny woke up shivering. The tent was dark, the only light filtering in through the open tent flap, where she could see Ron keeping watch. She sat up and looked around; Hermione and Harry were asleep in their bunks, whereas she was wide awake now.

There was no point in trying to go back to sleep now, not when it was clear it wasn't going to happen. She pulled her blanket off her bed and wrapped it around her shoulders, creeping past Harry outside to where Ron was sitting.

"Hey," she greeted quietly, sitting beside him. He dropped his arm over her shoulder automatically, shifting closer to her body.

"Hey. Why aren't you asleep?"

"Couldn't sleep."

They sat quietly for a moment, staring out at the silent dark forest. "What would our lives be like if we were raised like the Malfoy's?" Ginny wondered. Ron glanced at her sharply.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, what would we act like? Would be mean and rude like Malfoy? Would we still be Gryffindors, or would be Slytherins?"

Ron shook his head. "I try not to think about things like that."

"What would of happened to Harry if he became friends with Malfoy first year?" Ginny asked softly. "We wouldn't of met him and he would probably be on You-Know-Who's side."

"Ginny, stop. We can't think like that. Do you know how many times I have dreamed of that exact thing happening? Of Harry suddenly turning on us and going to him?"

"Ron…"

"Ginny, I'm serious. I have nightmares of Harry never having met me, and becoming friends with Malfoy. I have nightmares of You-Know-Who coming in the middle of the night and kidnapping Harry. I have dreams where Mum and Dad were raised differently, so they raised us to hate Muggles, and muggle-borns, and Gryffindors, and be friends with Malfoy."

"Ron…" Ginny took in her brother's disheveled appearance, wondering why she had never heard of any of this. "That will never happen."

"That doesn't mean I can't think it. Something bad always happens in our lives, and it wouldn't surprise me if something like that did happen. That is what our lives are, Ginny. They are crazy, messed up, depressing, and adventure-filled. But they aren't that bad compared to some other people. That doesn't mean I can't worry."

Ron stared at a tree some ten feet away from them, biting his lip. "Ginny…don't tell me you have never thought about it. I know that Percy has, and Bill and Charlie. I've thought about it. You had to have thought it."

Ginny chewed her lip thoughtfully, sifting through her thoughts. "I have," she finally admitted. "But I don't like to think about it. If I think about it long and hard enough, who knows what will happen? With our luck it will actually become reality."

Ginny shifted closer to her brother and dropped her head onto his shoulder. "Why can't our lives be normal?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know, Ginny. I don't know."

/\/\

The next morning Ginny was subdued. She could tell that Harry and Hermione were wondering what was going on, but one look from Ron stopped them from doing anything about it.

After she had finally gone back to bed, Ginny had been plagued with horrible dreams of an evil Harry laughing with Malfoy; Voldemort commanding Harry to kill her; Harry's eyes as he said the words that would end her life.

She had not slept well. After Ron's watch it was Hermione's turn, and Ginny crawled into bed next to him with the hope that the familiar form of her brother's body would calm her down and help her sleep.

It didn't. If anything it made it worse. She couldn't help but think of _Ron_ being the one who killed her, who laughed with Malfoy on the sidelines. Needless to say, she mostly lay awake huddled next to her brother staring at a nearby pole holding the tent up.

Ginny helped pack the tent up as best she could in her shaky state. She could only help so much, though, and eventually Ron gently asked her to just make sure they didn't leave anything behind.

She understood what he was trying to do. He was trying to make her feel helpful without actually giving her a job that she could mess up majorly. She appreciated the effort.

She could only hope that she wouldn't be completely helpless when they finally got to Xenophilius Lovegood's house.

A/N: I am so so sorry about this chapter! I know it sucks, but I came up with this idea a long time ago and didn't get the chance to write because of school starting at the mountain of homework and projects that I was suddenly facing. Hopefully I can get the next chapter up faster, but no promises. If I promise something I will break that promise.

Also, do you guys want me to split this story into two parts, so there is this one, and then a sequel? Would that be better or worse? Because I don't know if I should, yet this story is getting up there in chapters and if this keeps going on I'll be at like a hundred chapters before I finally end it. So leave a review and tell me how much longer you think this should be or if I should split it in two parts, whatever your thoughts are. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOUR REVIEWS! They make me so happy!


	20. The Lovegoods

When they separated, Ginny looked around. They were in a familiar area, and her heart ached. The Burrow was not far from here, and she just wanted to be back in her mother's embrace, reassure her that everything was okay and it would end soon.

But she couldn't do it. She had made a promise to herself to help her friends – her _family_ – to see this through to the end. She never broke her promises.

Ron led the way. Ginny knew what he was doing. He was trying to make up for leaving, even though Harry and Hermione had forgiven him. It was probably a good thing, though, because Harry seemed a little out of it.

Ginny was half afraid that he had heard their conversation last night. But she frantically pushed that thought out of her head. If he had heard, they would know. She would have known somehow, and Ron was oblivious to many things, yes. But he knew Harry better than anyone; there was no way he would let Harry's behavior slide past him, especially at a time like this.

It took them a couple hours to find the Lovegood house; it wasn't well hidden or anything like that. But none of them had ever been there, even Ginny, who was close friends with Luna. All they knew was that it was close by to the Burrow.

When they finally found it, Ginny was feeling exhausted. Not having slept well the night before, she was amazed she had even made it this far.

She saw Ron glance at her out of the corner of her eyes. She forced herself to ignore him, because if she looked, she knew that she would break down then and there. She needed to be calm and collected when for when they talked to Xenophilius Lovegood.

Ron knocked on the door carefully, casting a wary stare at the signs littering the lawn. Ginny didn't bother reading them, because she already knew that they wouldn't make any sense and that trying to figure out what they meant would just give her a headache.

Mr. Lovegood cautiously pulled the door open a few inches, peeking through the crack at them. "Yes? What would you like?"

"Hello, Mr. Lovegood, we just wanted to ask you a few questions," Hermione offered in one of her nicest voices. Mr. Lovegood stared at them, creaking the door open a couple more inches.

"And who are you?"

Harry stepped forward, leaning over Ginny's shoulder. "Mr. Lovegood, we think you can help us."

Mr. Lovegood took a step back, mouth falling open in shock. "I-um-I'm afraid that I can't…"

"What? Aren't you the one who has been writing in your magazine about supporting Harry? And you're going to turn him away when he needs help?" Ron challenged.

Mr. Lovegood's face paled, and he gulped visibly. He opened the door fully.

"Um…yes, please do come in," he invited, stepping aside. They walked past him into the house.

Mr. Lovegood led them upstairs, into a cluttered room with books stacked everywhere, sheets covering furniture. Mr. Lovegood hurriedly threw a sheet over a printing press rumbling in the corner.

"Sorry about that," he mumbled. He looked nervous. "Luna is down at the river, collecting Freshwater Plimpies. She should have some by now…I will call her in, and make us some tea, yes?"

He quickly tromped back down the stairs before they could answer.

Hermione glanced around, staring at random objects before what looked like a horn on the wall caught her attention. She stepped closer to it.

"This can't be…oh, it is!" she gasped. "This is an Erumpent horn! It can blow up at the slightest touch!"

They didn't reply to her discovery, let her panic until Mr. Lovegood came back with a tray. There were bright yellow boots pulled up to his knees instead of the shoes he was wearing earlier.

He set the tray on a stack of books, which leaned to the side precariously.

"Mr. Lovegood, I hate to be rude, but this horn on the wall right here," Hermione started. Mr. Lovegood brightened slightly.

"Ah, yes, the horn of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack! A wonderful find, they are extremely rare," he said.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lovegood, but this is an Erumpent horn, I recognize the markings! It can blow up at any moment!"

"I've heard about you from Luna," Mr. Lovegood said, narrowing his eyes. "You are a very bright girl, but narrow-minded. You refuse to believe that there are other possibilities."

Hermione bit her lip. "Mr. Lovegood…"

"My dear, this is not an Erumpent horn, and that is final. Now, I thought you had a question for me?"

Hermione flushed angrily, but huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Umm, yes, we need help with a symbol that keep popping up," Ginny said, cutting a desperate stare at her friends. She was not comfortable with explaining this.

"The symbol you were wearing around your neck at Bill and Fleur Weasley's wedding, what was it?" Harry asked, leaning forward slightly. Mr. Lovegood frowned.

He pulled out a chain from under his shirt, shaking it slightly. "Do you mean this one?"

"Yes, can you explain what it is?" Harry asked.

"Well, it's the sign of the Deathly Hallows," Mr. Lovegood said. Ginny stared at him blankly.

"Do you know the tale of the three brothers?" he asked. Ron, Ginny, and Hermione nodded, because who didn't know that story?

"I don't," Harry said.

"Oh, well, then we should…"Mr. Lovegood trailed off and turned to a stack of books, nearly toppling them over.

"It's okay, I have a copy of it here," Hermione said, reaching into her bag.

"The original?"

She nodded.

"Lovely. Please, read aloud," Mr. Lovegood said as Hermione retrieved the book.

"Oh," she said softly. "Okay."

And she began to read.

A/N: Yeah, so this chapter is short. The next one won't be, because of the whole story and then explanation and everything. Anyways. School is starting again Monday, so not sure when the next update will be, but I plan for it be next weekend. I hope to have this story finished but the New Year, but you know. I can't be sure. So enjoy.


	21. Chapter 21

Okay, I am so sorry I haven't updated in so long. I know I promised I would, but I just lost the motivation. I've lost the motivation to do everything. Some mornings I wake up and I just wonder if there's any point to it. I've just been going through so much shit the past couple months with my friends and family, and I could have been spending so much time writing and didn't.

I've decided that I'm just going on a break. I can't handle the guilt I feel because I haven't updated but I don't want to force something out that won't be as good as it could be.

This hiatus shouldn't be too long - school is ending soon but I am also being shipped off to my grandparent's the day after school ends and God-knows where else. I'll try - I swear to God, I will try - to write, but I can't make any promises. Until I get through all this crap, I can't make any promises.

I am so sorry for getting your hopes up a new chapter. I hate myself for this, but I just couldn't handle this anymore. I'm sorry.


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